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When I started my company, ITZJUSTME, 4 years ago, I did so without trepidation. I spent a year working on preliminaries such as brand messaging, web development and developing a cohesive strategy that would incorporate all 4 divisions of my company to include affirmational blogs, books, a small PR boutique and all things home design.
The home design component – Home By Seven, may seem out of place amid the other 3 components, but think – Jennifer Todryk, host of HGTV’s No Reno Demo, or my favorite, JoAnna Gaines, co-host of the popular HGTV show, Fixer Upper. JoAnna is also a major television personality and owner of an entire television conglomerate, Magnolia Network. She is also an author.
I digress a bit, but only to prove a point.
The businesses we launch can easily embrace the totality of our existence – our identity.
My role as a wife and mother is paramount. It has emboldened me, providing the stamina and resilience to endure during difficult entrepreneurial times and the loneliness that sometimes ensues. But we are deeper than the roles that become integral parts of our lives. I am an artist. I express my artistry through my work as an affirmation blogger, author, writer and interior decorator/designer. They are interconnected – one - in - the - same to me.
Who are YOU? The key is to identify yourself, claim your identity and then handle your business! The key is to start! Start somewhere! Start small, perhaps focusing on a hobby that acts as a side-hustle. If you just tap into a nugget of your truest identity, you will soar in so many ways! When I took my seat at the table, my ultimate goal was not to make money. I knew that if I could genuinely connect with people the money would come as a by-product. My ultimate goal was to inspire people, to energize them – particularly women, to see within themselves the multi-faceted, extraordinary phenomenon that they are!
Business conference with my hubby during COVID.
The reciprocation is wonderful! When someone responds to a blog or is exuberant about a décor/design project that I completed for them, I am thrilled!! It’s all part of the fulfillment of my brand messaging…Be Authentic. Be Original. Be extraordinary…because you are! Believe it people! You are ALL THAT!!!
I’ve learned sssooo much along the way. The ones you think will support you may often betray you.
True - to - the - bone, hard-core friends will always be there for you…front and center, nonjudgmental, trustworthy and loyal.
I’ve learned that what they say is true. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. But I’ve also learned that the journey is ripe with unpredictable outcomes. However, pressing forward still yields extraordinary rewards. You don’t have to know everything before you start. In fact, Henry Johnson, founder of Ebony Magazine, said if he knew everything that he would encounter about the magazine’s launch, he probably wouldn’t have launched it at all! And for over 4 decades the magazine was highly successful!
Today, as I was heading back home to post this, I saw 2 amazing things. One was a lady walking with both of her hands filled with groceries. On her head she perfectly balanced a Dasani water 12 - pack. Her decision to use every vestige of her body to fulfill her needs was inspiring to me. She did what she had to do!
The other amazing thing was a young man whose business plan I had prepared over a decade ago driving down the highway in his tow truck. I knew it was him because the company name was very unusual and one-of-a-kind. When he told me so many years ago that he wanted to have a tow truck business, I supported him when I knew that many would write him off as a thug who dared to dream. I was soooo happy to see that he succeeded as I drove past him confirming his identity!
Don’t write yourself off. Live your story and tell it! Let’s clap for ourselves and each other and celebrate the many ways we grow individually and together!
NOTE: Saturday is the first day of fall! Later today, Erin Williams will share the fall colors to celebrate in makeup. Look for the post on my site!
